Base detonating-fuse



' Vw. L. LUKENS;

BASE DETONATING FUSE. APPLICATION FI*LED AUG-19.1918.

ai earns naar WILLIAM L. LUKENS, OF BETI-ILEHEIVI, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF BETI-ILEHEIVI, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VAN IA.

BASE DETONA'IING-FUSE.

naartoe.

Application filed August 19, 1918.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. LUKENS,

.a citizen of the United States, and residing at Bethlehem, Lehigh county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Base Detonating- Fuses, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to detonating fuses for projectiles and it comprises various means for insuring safety in handling the fused projectile and insuring explosion of the projectile at the proper moment when fired. rIhe invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fuse embodying the invention in its normal or unarmed condition;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the fuse showing the various lparts in the armed condition which it assumes during the flight;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

. Referring to the drawings 10 indicates the body of the fuse which is of the ordinary cylindrical form and threaded to engage a threaded opening centrally located in the base of the projectile. The fuse body is hollow, being closed at the rear end by a heavy cylindrical base 11 and at the forward end by a screw plug 12.

Threaded into the interior of the fuse toward the rear end of the cavity is a plug 13 and within this plug is a second plug 14 on the rear side of which is a seat for a primer 15. In the plug 14 is a transverse perforation 16 which contains a delay pellet operating as a timing element. A. passage 17 permits the Hash from the primer to ignite the delay pellet and-a passage 18 affords coma munication for re from the delay pellet to pass to the magazine charge 19 between the plug 14 and the bottom of the plug 13. The plug 13 has two or more forwardly extending passages 20 through which lire from the magazine charge passes for a purpose to be j presently explained.

In the rear of the primer seat 15 there is arranged a percussion plunger having a firing pin which is adapted to be moved forward and detonate the primer in the seat 15 when the projectile is suddenly retarded in its Hight. This percussion device may be of any suitable form such for instance as that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 250,554.

shown in Patent No. 1,145,937. As illuspin. The point of the pin, which is nor- A mally within the guard 27 on the front of the percussion plunger, is thus thrown forward of the guard and when the projectile strikes the percussion plunger continues to -move forward compressing the spring 28a and Ithe primer 15 is red.

Centrally located in the fuse cavity is a detonator 28 comprising a tube of relative small diameter filled with an explosive composition. The rear end of the detonator 28 is threaded into a detonator holder 29 which is seated in an axial cavity in the forward end of the plug 13. The detonator holder has a tubular opening in line with the tube 28 through which lire may pass to ignite the composition in the tube when the fusev is armed, as shown in Fig. 2. When the fuse is unarmed as shown in Fig. 1 the axial opening in the detonator holder 29 is closed by the end of the plug 13. Surrounding the detonator tube 28 and at some distance therefrom is a stout cylinder 30 which has end flanges fitting the interior wall of the fuse body. rlhe detonator holder 29 has shearing lugs 31 (Figs. 1 and 3) against which the cylinder 30 is seated and which prevent the cylinder 30 from moving rearward and the detonator tube 28 from moving forward until the lugs are sheared due to the inertia of the cylinder 30 when the projectile is red. The forward end of the cylinder 30 is normally seated against a fixed disk 32 which has a central opening in which the forwardk end of the detonator tube is normally seated and through which the detonator tube may pass when it is released in the act of firing and thrown forward by the spring 33.

As a further means of preventing premature forward movement of the detonator tube 28, the disk 32 is provided with radial the plug 13.

cavities in which are spring operated bolts 34 which normally extend into the path of the detonator tube but which move outward during the flight of the projectile under the action of centrifugal force.

Between the disk 32 and the plug 12 there is a booster charge of explosive material 35 having a central cavity 36 adapted to receive the detonator 28 when the latter is in its forward position as shown in Fig; 2. rlhe forward end of the detonator tube is of thicker metal than the balance of the tube and has a tapering'wall 37 provided with a conical cavity in which there is a cone plug 38, for a purpose to be presently explained.

rllhe operation is as follows: lWhen the projectile is fired the heavy cylinder 30 moves rearward under its inertia shearing the lugs 31. The rotary movement of the projectile throws out the bolts 34 permitting the spring 33 to move the detonator tube into the cavity 36 in the booster charge. The bolts 23 in the percussion plunger are also thrown out permitting` the firing pin to project and to be locked in its forward position as shown in Fio. 2. rlhe fuse is thus armed and on impact the firing pin strikes the primer and ignites the delay pellet in the cavity 16. rEhe amount of delay caused by the pellet will depend upon the distance between the openings 17 and 18, which may be regulated during manufacture. When the delay pellet has burned to the opening 18 the flame ignites the magazine charge 19 and the flame from this charge passes through the cylinder 8O and ignites the material in the detonator tube rJhis immediately ignites and explodes and fires the booster charge which ruptures the fuse and ignites the bursting charge of the projectile.

rllhe operation of the safety devices embodying the fuse is as follows: rlfhe firing pin point is normally within the boundary of the percussion plunger and it cannot the primer if, for any reason, the permission plunger should move forward accidentally. lf, in any way, the primer should be ignited, 'which would result in the burning of the delay pellet and the explosion of the magazine charge 19, the dame and gases would pass through openings 39 in the detonator holder into the annular space Li0 within the cylinder 30 and through the openings 41 into the annular space l2 outside of the cylinder 30, which form expansion chambers, and the force of the explosion would be spent without igniting the detonator 28, the opening to which is closed by Again, if the detonator 28 should be accidentally detonated before firing the explosion would drive the tapered gas plug 38 into the tapering end of the tube 2.8, spreading the latter and make it lit tight in the circular opening in the disk 32.

The end 37 of the tube 28 would be prevented from being blown forward by the bolts Sil, the expanded gases not having strength suficient to burst the wall of the body 10 reinforced by cylinder 30.

lt will thus be seen that while the described fuse is practically certain of operation when fired, it is provided with a series of safety devices which make it practically impossible for the booster charge to be detonated prematurely and the booster charge is the only charge employed in the fuse which has sullicient strength to rupture the fuse body.

lflaving thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letter Patent is l. ln a fuse, the combination with a hollow fuse body, a primer seat therein and a firing pin adapted to coperate with the primer, of a magazine charge, a channel connecting the primer seat with the maga zine charge, a centrally arranged detonator forward of the magazine charge, a holder engaging the rear end of the detonator, a spring normally urging the detonator and older forward, and means holding said detonator and holder in their rearmost position to seal communication between the magazine charge and the detonator, said means automatically disengaging from the holder on firing the projectile whereby the spring move the detonator forward.

2. ln a fuse, the combination with a hol.-

low fuse body, a primer seat therein and a firing pin adapted to coperate with the primer, of a detonator arranged inthe chamber of the fuse forward of the magazine charge, a holder to which the rear end of the detonator is connected, a cylinder surrounding the detonator and at a distance therefrom, said cylinder engaging the holder by means adapted to be sheared by the rearward movement of the cylinder on firing the projectile whereby after firing the detonator is free to move forward.

3. ln a fuse, the combination with a hol.-

fus-e body, of a plug fixed in the body and provided with primer seat, said plug havng passages from the primer seat through to the forward side of the plug, a detonator in the cavity in front of the plug and out of register with the passage in the plug, said detonator having a rear opening normally sealed by the plug, a spring urging the detonator forward, and means operating on firing the projectile to release the spring and detonator and permit them to move forward.

1l. ln a fuse, the combination with a hollow fuse body inclosed at the rear end by the base of the fuse and at the other end by a plug, a booster charge in the forward end of the fuse, said booster charge having a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of the booster charge, means normally urging the detonator into the receptacle in the booster charge, means normally preventing the detonator from moving into said receptacle and releasing means operable on firing the projectile to permit the detonator to be moved into the said receptacle.

5. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow fuse body inclosed at the rear end by the base of the fuse `and at the other end by a plug, a booster charge in the forward end of the fuse, said booster charge having a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of the booster charge, means normally urging the detonator into the receptacle in the booster charge, means normally preventing the detonator from moving into said receptacle, and releasing` means operable on firing the projectile to permit the detonator to be moved into the said receptacle, said means comprising centrifugally operated bolts arranged between the detonator and the booster charge.

6. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow fuse body inclosed at the rear end by the base of the fuse and at the other end by a plug, a booster charge in the forward end of the fuse, said booster charge having a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of the booster charge, means normally urging the detonator into the receptacle in the booster charge, means normally preventing the detonator from moving into said receptacle, and releasing means operable on firing the projectile to permit the detonator to be moved into the said receptacle, said means comprising centrifugally operated bolts arranged between the detonator and the booster charge, and restraining means adapted to be sheared on firing.

7. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow fuse body, of a plug in said body provided with a primer seat and with passages from the primer seat to the forward side of the plug, of a detonator holder having an opening therethrough out of register with said passages, a detonator seated in said holder, shearing lugs on the holder and an inertia cylinder arranged in the fuse and normally cooperating with said shearing lugs to hold the detonator holder in contact with the plug, means normally urging the detonator holder away from the plug, the space between said inertia cylinder and the detonator being in communication with the passage in the plug and affording an expansion chamber in case of premature eXplosion of the primer.

8. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow cylindrical fuse body, of a booster charge in the forward part of the fuse formed with a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of the booster charge, a disk in rear of the booster charge and having an opening through which the detonator may pass into the booster charge, and means for jamming the forward end of the detonator in said opening to close the opening and prevent lire from communieating with the booster charge in case of premature explosion of the detonator.

9. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow cylindrical fuse body, of a booster charge in the forward part of the fuse formed with a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of the booster charge, a disk in rear of the booster charge and having an opening through which the detonator may pass into the booster charge and means for jamming the forward end A of the detonator in said opening to close the opening and prevent fire from communicating with the booster charge in case of premature eXplosion of the detonator, said means comprising a tapering formation of the forward end of the detonator and a tapered expanding plug therein.

10. In a fuse, the combination with a hollow cylindrical fuse body, of a booster charge in the forward part of the fuse formed with a receptacle for a detonator, a detonator normally in rear of booster charge and a disk in rear of the booster charge and having an opening through which the detonator may pass into the booster charge, an inertia cylinder normally holding said detonator in place and reinforcing the cylindrical fuse body in case of premature explosion of the detonator.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

WILLIAM L. LUKENS. 

